Articles written by Scott Knickelbine

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About me - Scott Knickelbine

I have written professionally for the last 30 years. While most of my work has been in the area of public relations, I am the author of 39 books, and my work has been published in hundreds of newspapers and magazines.

I received my degree in Journalism cum

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Society & Lifestyle > African-American Issues Should America pay restitution to the descendants of slaves?: 8 of 131
African Americans - and particularly the descendants of slaves - certainly deserve justice. But restitution isn't really the straightforward approach it sounds like.The idea of restitution presumes there is a discrete group of people who have been harmed, and another group or body which bears responsibility. And here's where ... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Climate Change Is the US doing enough to stop global warming?: 2 of 30
Are we doing enough to stop global warming? It depends on whether you consider "practically nothing" to be "not enough."Since the outset of his administration George Bush has sent a clear and deliberate message: nothing is going to be done about global warming on his watch. And indeed, nothing has. Since taking office, the Bu... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Is George Bush an able commander-in-chief for the US military?: 2 of 23
George Bush? An able Commander-in-Chief? Oh, please.The disastrous military blunders that have happened on George Bush's watch could fill a book - in fact, they already have. But let's just run through a few of the most obvious, shall we?1) Bush relied too much on local forces to do the job in Afghanistan, and then quickly ch... More..
Politics, News & Issues > War in Iraq Does the US have a moral obligation to stay in Iraq until peace is secured?: 7 of 48
Continued US military presence in Iraq will not secure peace. It will continue to inflame the populace, which wants us out. It will also give the Iraqi government a continued excuse to make no attempt to unify the country. If the definition of madness is to continue to do the same thing while expecting different results, then... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Spiritual Insights Is mind-reading real or fake?: 6 of 36
I bet you already know why I think mind-reading is fake.Despite hundreds of studies spanning more than a century, no one has ever been able to document telepathy in controlled conditions. Whenever so-called "mind readers" are tested in ways that prevent them from doing previous research, guessing, using confederates, etc., th... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Spiritual Insights Was there life before birth: 1 of 6
Sure there's life before birth. Your mother and father were alive; the gametes that formed you were alive at the moment they joined. But were you Napoleon or Cleopatra in a previous life? Were you hanging around in Heaven, waiting to make your big entrance? Not a chance.The question presumes that there's a discrete consciousn... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Heaven, Hell & Afterlife Is Hell a real place or a metaphor to deter evil-doers?: 21 of 105
If Hell is a real place, where is it? Let's get the Marines to go there and rescue those poor folks!I suspect believers in Hell are rolling their eyes at this point. Of course, they reply, Hell isn't a real "place." It's a state of being, a spiritual plane, an infernal dimension, and so on. But even though we're all agreed th... More..
Religion & Spirituality > Catholicism Is the Catholic Church under Pope Benedict XVI reversing the reforms of the Vatican II Council in the 1960s?: 2 of 10
Of course Kardinal Ratzinger is rolling back Vatican II. The whole point of that council's liturgical reforms was to create a mass in which the laity were full participants, fully members of the Church - and not simply spectators at a holy mystery. Having the priest face the congregation and conducting the service in the loca... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political Issues Does the Hate Crimes Bill violate free speech rights?: 3 of 14
The Hate Crimes bill has nothing to do with speech. People who have a problem with this bill are either entirely ignorant of its provisions or simply don't like the government telling them whom they can and cannot bomb, rape or kidnap.The Hate Crimes Bill does not resrict religion or speech. It stipulates minimum penalties fo... More..
Politics, News & Issues > Political & Economic Theory Republication or Democrat: Which do you choose and why: 6 of 25
I'm a Democrat; in fact, I'm a "yellow dog" Democrat - a 19th century term for someone who will vote for the Democratic candidate if if it's "a yaller dog or a rag doll."Why am I a staunch Democrat? That question is easier to answer today than it was before the Reagan/Bush junta embraced racism and fundamentalism and forced m... More..